Women of Distinction encourage next generation to rise

Ten local women whose professional and community passions vary from health care, education, legal services, real estate, entertainment, land development, business and other areas of expertise were deemed the best among the best of Carson City Friday on International Women’s Day.

The Carson City Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Women of Distinction event honored leaders who have advanced opportunities in the public and private sectors. Chamber Executive Director Ronni Hannaman provided opening remarks and masters of ceremony Cliff Sorensen and Assemblyman PK O’Neill presented the honorees with their awards.

Kitty McKay, administrator of community and patient experience for Carson Tahoe Health and co-owner of the Nashville Social Club restaurant with her husband, shared with the Appeal how grateful she was to be recognized.

“To be included in a group like that is so humbling and to live in a community like we do is one of my greatest joys,” McKay said.

“I think I’m proudest of being welcomed and allowed to make a difference through the things that mean most to me, which is helping all of us rise. And I feel like I get to do it in my hospital work, I get to do it with our restaurant and being involved with all of these incredible nonprofits.”

Carson City’s community development director Hope Sullivan said she was honored to have been selected and thanked Hannaman for her, acknowledging her work at the Chamber for the Women of Distinction event.

“In Carson City, it’s all a collaboration, it’s really cooperative and it’s really very welcoming,” Sullivan said. “So any success I have is through that collaboration of my team at the city and just the whole community.”

Keynote speaker Mary Pierczynski, Carson City School District’s first female superintendent from 2001 to 2008 and one of the first to be awarded the Chamber’s Women of Distinction in 2020, addressed the crowd on how proud she was to celebrate what women have become.

“It’s great to be recognized, but with recognition also comes responsibility,” Pierczynski said in her address. “You have an obligation to raise other women up. It’s your responsibility to do so. Others watch what you are doing.”

She said they are also able to endure challenges and criticism and take on tough tasks, run businesses and handle multiple responsibilities at once.

“You can have a very meaningful career and still have children and a lovely home,” she said.

Carson City School Superintendent Andrew Feuling introduced Pierczynski as keynote speaker. Although she is retired now, Feuling said she still works hard as a part-time lobbyist, advocating on the education community’s behalf for the Nevada Association of School Superintendents during the state’s legislative sessions.

“She’s looking out for us, looking out for our kids and our communities,” Feuling said. “She has been an incredible resource and mentor to me in my 10 years in Carson City schools. She is strong, smart and a passionate resource, and she has a big heart for kids.”

Carson City School District’s Tasha Fuson, associate superintendent of educational services, said she was humbled to be recognized for the first time outside of the education community. She praised the high caliber of women she was placed with at her table.

“I cannot believe how this community works so well together and interacts so well together to support all aspects, not just education, but library services, and I’m so humbled,” Fuson said. “What an amazing group of women. I think this is the first time I’ve ever been recognized outside of education. It was very nice they shared my accolades.”

Other honorees from Friday’s event included entrepreneur Jenny Lopiccolo, a licensed real estate agent who opened her own agency Coldwell Banker Best Sellers; Sena Loyd, named Carson City Library Director in 2014, Lisa Schuette, who now serves as a Carson City Supervisor and founded the nonprofit Carson Animal Service Initiative, or CASI, to raise funds for the animal shelter; attorney Kelly Brandon who oversees the juvenile division of the Carson City District Attorney’s Office; Elaine Barkdull Spencer of Carson City who has owned and managed 12 businesses in the area; Marlene Maffei, a stay-at-home mother of four and volunteer for the PTA and kid focused sports organizations that led her to become involved with the nonprofit Food for Thought in 2013; and Niki Gladys, executive director of Advancement for Western Nevada College since 2016.

Friday’s event brought back previous honorees from 2020 and 2023, most of whom remain active in city affairs. Mayor Lori Bagwell, current city manager Nancy Paulson, former city manager Linda Ritter and Advocates to End Domestic Violence executive director Lisa Lee were among familiar faces.

After the event, Pierczynski told the Appeal she was happy to help recognize the contributions the honorees make to Carson City in their professional and personal lives.

“They do so much and it’s kind of unsung a lot of times, and I think that events like this point out how amazing (they are),” she said. “I think of women like Tasha at the school district. Oh, my gosh, she’s amazing. People do not know how amazing she really is, and I really meant it when I said she should have a trophy. People outside the education community don’t know that.

“The Food for Thought person (Maffei), oh, my gosh, that’s been so huge for kids. People don’t realize even how many kids we have in transition. … So I think stuff like this is wonderful because then all of us begin to understand all of the things going on in this city that we don’t know about. That’s why it’s important to be involved.”